Welcome Stephanie Zacharek, Moveline's New Chief Film Critic!

Fanfare! Confetti! Champagne (but not too much -- it's early)! Movieline is pleased this morning to welcome Stephanie Zacharek to the site as our chief film critic. The veteran of Salon and esteemed member of both the NY Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics will contribute all her must-read insights on the latest theatrical releases, joining Michelle Orange in reinforcing Movieline's formidable critical chops. What it means for you, Dear Reader, is an even richer compendium of tasteful, generally correct opinions about all things pop-culture. Excited much? Even more exciting: The official press release from MMC World Headquarters follows the jump! Woot!

Movieline Appoints Stephanie Zacharek as Chief Film Critic

NEW YORK, April 12 -- Movieline.com, the fastest growing film, TV and entertainment site on the web, has appointed one of the top film critics in America, Stephanie Zacharek, to its lineup of award-winning writers and editors.

As a member of the elite group of New York Film Critics Circle and The National Society of Film Critics, Zacharek is one of the most successful and experienced practitioners in the business, and a big name in the industry. For the past ten years, she has been a senior writer and film critic for Salon.com. She writes for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, New York magazine and Sight and Sound. Her work was featured in the 2006 "American Movie Critics," edited by Philip Lopate, and she was a contributor to "A New Literary History of America," published by Harvard University Press in 2009.

Zacharek's opinion on movies is in high demand. She makes regular appearances on popular shows like Charlie Rose, and plays an active role in film festivals. She was a panelist at the Venice Film Festival in 2008 and has worked with the Berlin Film Festival for the past three years as a Talent Campus mentor to young film critics.

Her appointment reinforces the success of Movieline's formula to provide a unique combination of smart, informed and entertaining content to followers of movies, TV and entertainment pop culture, looking for more than aggregated feeds and commentary with little depth or point of view.

Zacharek steps into her new role in April just as Movieline enters into its next stage of growth with expanded content and a fresh new look. Commenting on her move to Movieline, Zacharek said, "Even though there's an enormous number of web sites and blogs devoted to movies and entertainment, the number of sites that take movies and movie criticism seriously is relatively small. In a climate where studio hype too often threatens to crush thoughtful conversation about film, Movieline has proved its commitment to covering movies in a unique and insightful way, and I'm thrilled to be a part of this leading movie destination."

Movieline General Manager and Editorial Director, Charles Runnette added, "We're really delighted to have Stephanie join Movieline. Everyone who reads film criticism knows her as one of the sharpest minds in the business. She's the perfect mix for our site, smart, fun, and knowledgeable. She can debate the merits of an obscure foreign film as effectively as a comic book blockbuster."

Jay Penske, CEO and founder of parent company, MMC, commented, "I'm a big fan of Stephanie's work, she has done what every critic aspires to achieve, her word has become a must-read source for her readers and for the industry in general."